Bible Strands
Ezekiel 6:3
You are to say: ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God commands the prophet Ezekiel to address the mountains and hills of Israel with a pronouncement of impending judgment. This occurs within a prophetic sequence targeting Israel's geographical landmarks for destruction.
The words — The address opens with וְ/אָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ (ve./'A.mar.ta), "and you will say," followed by הָרֵי֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (ha.Rei Yis.ra.'El), "O mountains of Israel," and שִׁמְע֖וּ (shim.'U), "hear." These terms frame the message as a direct, imperative proclamation to the land itself.
The thread — The destruction of high places appears in Leviticus 26:30 alongside the cutting down of incense altars, while Jeremiah 2:20 notes Israel's past use of high hills for idolatrous worship. Isaiah 27:9 connects the removal of idolatrous sites to the atonement of Jacob's guilt.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that geographical landmarks and worship sites are subject to divine judgment rather than protection. It requires the reader to recognize that idolatrous practices tied to the land will be eradicated by God's direct action.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 26:30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.
- Isaiah 27:9 Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be atoned for, and the full fruit of the removal of his sin will be this: When he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.
- Jeremiah 2:20 “For long ago you broke your yoke and tore off your chains, saying, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute.
- Jeremiah 3:6 Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.
- Jeremiah 3:23 Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.
- Jeremiah 22:29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!
- Ezekiel 36:1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.
- Ezekiel 36:8 But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and bear fruit for My people Israel, for they will soon come home.
- Micah 6:2 Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s indictment, you enduring foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against His people, and He will argue it against Israel: